With the upcoming release of Captain American: The Winter Soldier, rumors have been swirling about who is the titular seasonal soldier. He wears a mask, and his (or her!) identity has been a closely guarded secret that will no doubt have huge implications on the plot. We've done a little bit of research and have come up with a number of candidates for who could be The Winter Soldier.

It's important to note that literally no one on the internet has any idea who or what the Winter Soldier truly is, so odds are one of these theories are right.

1. Captain American (Split-Personality)

Here's what we know about Captain American: he's a soldier (check!) and he was frozen for 70 years (aka WINTER!). And wouldn't that just be the ULTIMATE twist? Captain American simply couldn't cope with the culture shock of waking up in the modern world and his personality split in two - good guy Captain American and bad guy The Winter Soldier. How his hair got so long and how he manages to battle himself (as seen in the trailers) is a mystery. Maybe it's like Fight Club and it's revealed later on that he's just punching himself and looking like a goofy idiot.

2. Rad Skull

"But the Rad Skull got disappeared in the first movie!" you scream. True - but maybe he just got transported somewhere where they give you robot arms. We've already seen the Rad Skull use incredibly lifelike masks to hide his true face - maybe he just did that again, and also got a long-haired wig this time? Most movie franchises get a lot of mileage having villains return for sequels, so why should this one be any different? The Radical Skull is definitely a possibility!

3. Cap's old fallen friend - Dr. German

Remember Cap's old fallen friend who died tragically and it had a huge impact on him? Naturally I'm referring to Dr. German, who SUPPOSEDLY died after being shot by a HYDRA assassin. But in reality? His life was saved and he was experimented on, turning him into a brainwashed assassin with a bionic arm. BOOM! Consider your mind BLOWN!

4. Cap's other old friend - Agent Peggy Hill

In the gut-wrenching finale to Captain American: The Number One Avenger, Captain American is taking down the Rad Skull's enormous plane in order to save the world - at the cost of his own life. He has one last heartbreaking conversation with the love of his life, Agent Peggy Hill. Though both know he's doomed, they make plans to meet a week later for a long-wanted dance, so that neither has to face the inevitable.

The twist? Agent Peggy Hill showed up at the dance hall the following week, and Captain American DID NOT (because he was frozen in ice). That made Agent Peggy Hill PISSED OFF. So much so that she got a sex change, a bionic arm, and cryogenically froze herself until a point where she could get vengeance on Captain American for rudely standing her up.

5. Bucky (???)

I know this one sounds a little far-fetched, but when I was talking to my buddy about my theories, he just kept saying "It's Bucky. Everyone already knows it's Bucky. It's the same actor who played Bucky before. Also it's based on a very famous comic book arc where it's Bucky. It's 100% definitely Bucky."

So I guess it might be Bucky O'Hare? Take this theory with a grain of salt though.